


Stronger Together

by VividDayDreamer



Series: Prompts and Challenges (Supergirl 2015) [11]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AgentCorp, Anger, Betrayal, Don’t copy to another site, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Loss of Trust, Tumblr Prompt, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-04 12:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20470763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VividDayDreamer/pseuds/VividDayDreamer
Summary: Alex confronts Lena about her sudden disappearance and avoidance of everyone, weeks after the events that dealt with Russian Kara and Lex.





	Stronger Together

**Author's Note:**

>   

> 
> Challenge Details: 
>   * Relationship: AgentCorp
>   * Prompt: “Lena asking Alex if their whole friendship (or more if you like 😉) was a lie too... " (For Anon) 
> 
>   

> 
> **Prompt me if you'd like to play! You can find my prompts and rules on my blog on [Tumblr](https://dreamsescapeus.tumblr.com/).**
> 
>   


  


Engine off, helmet on, hands gripping the handlebars, and bike parked in the once familiar guest space, Alex sat there, contemplating.

  


_This should be okay. We're still friends..._

  


Alex didn't know why she was nervous, but she was. Lena had been very distant over the past few weeks, and hadn't really been attending any of Kara's social gatherings. It normally would've been fine, except Kara mentioned how Lena appeared to be avoiding her, and not being her normal "busy" self. Her calls kept going to voicemail, her text messages were left unanswered, and when she tried visiting L-Corp, Jess stopped her, saying that Lena refused to see any "guests". Moreover, Lena started locking her balcony entrances and put up sheers on the windows of her office, preventing even Supergirl from stopping by. Kara was beside herself, and Alex decided to intervene. After all, if something really was bothering Lena, she should be at least comfortable talking to her, right? Right?...

They'd confided in each other over things that they couldn't really divulge in Kara's presence, providing a safe space to talk since they practically knew so much about each other's lives, including the secrecy of what they worked on and the nuances thereof. It really should be okay for her to drop by unannounced. She's done so many times before. But, Lena had been avoiding her texts as well...

Alex took a deep breath, bumped her heel on the kickstand to force it into place, then steadied her bike. She took her helmet off, shook out her hair, then stared at the visor of her helmet, with the darkened, nearly opaque reflection of herself.

  


_Why am I freaking out?_

  


She huffed out a heavy sigh, willing the nerves to settle down.

  


_Alright, Danvers. Calm down. It's just Lena. You got this._

  


* * *

  


"Hey Bobby, how's it going?"

"Hey hey," the concierge welcomed cheerfully. "Well if it isn't Alex Danvers. Good to see you again. It's been a while."

"Yea, work," she shrugged, "You know how it is."

  


The man just nodded and smiled.

  


"I should ring up Ms. Luthor and let her know that—"

"Actually Bobby, I'd like to just go up and surprise her. If that's alright."

  


Normal procedures required that every visitor be announced before allowing them access into the residents' homes, but Bobby knew Alex. Alex had been cleared by Lena in the past, knew that she worked for the federal government, and also had a feeling that there was more to Alex and Lena than just being "friends".

  


"Sure thing, Alex. Just sign here. You know the drill. Can't let you break all the rules," he joked.

"Suppose not," she said with a smirk. "One day though." The so-called empty threat earned her a gruff laugh from the young man.

  


She signed her name on the digital pad, along with the time and host she was to visit, falling silent. The moment turned serious as her thoughts wandered off to Lena. When she was done, she looked up at the man; a second passing before she decided to speak up.

  


"Hey...Bobby?"

"Hm?"

"How has Lena been recently? Are you aware of anything? She's been a bit closed off these days, and I'm curious as to what's going on. It's kinda why I'm here."

  


The man's mouth pressed firmly into a line, with his brows furrowing as he stared at Alex. He wondered if it was really okay to give his opinion on the matter. However, his hesitation didn't last. His body eventually sagged a tad low, deciding he should just relinquish his thoughts. It was Alex after all.

  


"It's not my place, Alex," he began, "but several weeks ago, I've noticed that Ms. Luthor's demeanor to be...I dunno, off? I guess the same as you've mentioned. She's not herself. I haven't really seen her smile in a while either. What's even odder, is that she's been turning away what little visitors she had. Your sister included."

  


Alex nodded her head slightly, acknowledging that time when Kara appeared at her apartment, distressed at being turned away.

  


"Thanks, Bobby. I'll go check in on her."

"You're a good woman, Alex. If anyone can help get her out of her slump, I believe you can."

  


Alex gave a slight smile, nodded and headed for the elevator. She hoped she could get Lena out of her funk. Whatever it was.  


  


* * *

  


Alex stood in front of Lena's door. The only one there. Definitely a perk of living in the penthouse. She nervously combed her fingers through her hair for the twelfth time that night, as she paced for the last five minutes, trying to build up the courage to just knock. 

For a comical few seconds, she even laughed at herself, remembering that scene from Frozen, where that snowball said: _"Knock. Just Knock. Why isn't she knocking? You think she knows how to knock?"_

Yep, she's blaming Kara for that. She made her watch that movie on repeat for Sisters Night, for several nights in a row, ever since she bought that cursed DVD. After watching it for the fifth night, Alex had to put her foot down. She'd had "Let It Go" stuck in her head for days, embarrassingly caught humming it at the DEO when she was getting coffee, or reading reports. It had to stop.

  


_All right, Danvers. Come on. Knock. Just Knock._

  


In that moment, Olaf's voice came through again, and she cursed herself internally before just knocking on the door out of frustration. It hadn't registered that she'd even done so, more caught up in shaking her thoughts of that ridiculous, animated snowman, mocking her for her hesitation. Needless to say, she was startled when the door had opened.

  


"Alex," Lena said with a bit of surprise.

  


She had cracked the door slightly,with her body pressed into the small opening. It was clear she wasn't intending on Alex in.

  


"Lena, hey," she answered. "Um, hey...sorry I came by unannounced. I was hoping we could talk."

"What do you want, Alex?" Her voice had a bite to it; her words, curt.

  


Seeing that Lena was acting very standoffish, she just pressed on with her intentions.

  


"So...you haven't really been around a lot, and I was assuming you were caught up with work again like usual," she smiled anxiously, "I um...I brought some wine and some snacks. I even got the hummus you like. I was hoping we could—"

"I'm busy at the moment."

"Oh. Um, well maybe you could at least use a break. I know how caught up you can get, and you know how it works wonders after we would take breaks together. I'm sure that—"

"Not tonight. Thanks for stopping by. I really do need to get back to it though. Have a good night."

  


Lena was nearly inside, the door an inch from closing, when Alex put all her strength into her arm, palm flat against the hard surface, preventing it from shutting her out. The sudden impact against the door startled Lena. She cracked the door open once more, brows knit in confusion as she stared at Alex. The woman had her arm stretched out, and only pulled back once the door had opened fully. Her head was lowered, and her eyes were cast to the ground. With her free hand, she ran her fingers through her hair once more, took a deep breath and let out a forceful puff of air. She eventually raised her eyes to lock onto Lena's, and started to speak.

  


"Lena, look. We all know something's up. We're worried about you...I'm worried about you. You've practically ghosted everyone. What's going on?"

"I'm not in the mood to discuss this, Alex."

  


Lena nearly shut the door again, but this time, Alex stepped forward, her boot pressed up against the door, preventing Lena from shutting it. A look of determination filled Alex's face. The nervous, unsure version of herself, was now locked inside. With a stern voice, she spoke again.

  


"You're gonna have to use force to make me leave if you really want me to go."

  


Lena gave a spiteful laugh.

  


"You're really going to make me call security up here to have you removed off the premises? Is that what you're asking? Because I will, Alex."

"Then do it. I'm not leaving otherwise."

  


For a moment, they just stared at each other. Two stubborn fools in a stand-off, who never knew how and when to say no; always betting that their opponent would back down first. However, this was just a part of the dynamic that they shared. It was a trait they had in common, and even joked about it a time or two. Their strong-willed attitudes came from years of training — a mix of struggles that dealt with self preservation, combined with a penchant for having laser focused motives. Backing down was rarely an option, and one they didn't take lightly. Between the two of them, sometimes, Kara even had to intervene, just to make the decision, or let the two succumb to the idea of just flipping a coin, so that they could move on.

In silence, Lena admired Alex's resolve. She always had. And, though she was dealing with the betrayal of Kara and nearly all of her so-called friends fairly well, in her heart, she knew she needed someone to turn to; someone who was really on her side. Sam had been a phone call away, and it helped to some degree, but having someone physically present was something else. She longed for that personal connection. It was hard to return to a life of being isolated, after tasting what it was like to be surrounded by others.

She looked upon Alex, and felth that if there was anyone left that she'd be willing to talk to, out of the entire group, it'd be her.

  


"You're really not going to leave, are you?"

"I'll stand here all night if I had to."

  


Lena bit back a smile. Alex was stubborn, just like she was. Seeing their iron-will come face-to-face, was all to reminiscent. Eventually, she caved.

  


"Fine. There's no use in having that wine go to waste anyway."

  


Lena left the door ajar and walked inside. Alex then took a sigh of relief before following suit. 

  


Round 1 Complete. Danvers: 1, Lena: 0.

  


* * *

  


Once inside, Alex handed Lena the bottle of wine. She offered to help serve it, but Lena just waved her off and told her to go sit down. Alex reluctantly agreed, then made her way into the living area to sit on the sofa. As she waited, she couldn't help but look around. Normally, if Lena was busy working on something, she'd have paperwork strewn about on several surfaces, her laptop glowing brightly as it sat upon some surface adjacent to where she'd been sitting, with her cell phone laying not too far from it. However, she saw none of that. Not a thing. Instead, next to her, was a still warm blanket, and a book entitled, "The Lonely City," by Olivia Lang. Just judging from the cover title, Alex found it quite fitting, considering how Lena had decided to isolate herself, and that whatever she was dealing with, must be making her feel alone. Alex knew that about Lena. It was one of those things they'd shared in confidence once, and was another behavior they both had in common. It consisted of them being hurt, they wallowing in their pain, and secluding themselves, so they are only left with their desire to deal with their issues alone. However, in Kara's circle, you were never alone. Space was given, sure, but after some time, someone would eventually burst through your door and reel you back in. This, was Alex's attempt to do just that.

Lena arrived not a moment later, handed Alex her drink, and situated herself back into her spot on the couch, presumably where she was, prior to being interrupted. She tucked her legs back under the blanket, placed her book aside, and shifted her back against the arm of the sofa. Her feet were mere inches from where Alex sat.

Out of habit, Alex tried to lighten up the mood a bit. She had picked up that behavior from Kara, when the air in a room became stifling and intense.

  


"So....work, huh?" she said with a toying smile and a single brow cocked in disbelief. She hoped to break the tension. It was suffocating.

"What do you want, Alex? Why are you here?"

  


_Guess that didn't work..._

  


Attempt failed. Round 2, went to Lena.

  


Alex took a generous sip of her wine, then took a deep, but silent breath, before turning her body towards her friend.

  


"I told you. We know something's bothering you. You can talk to us, you know? You don't have to keep hiding. It'll help get things off your chest, even if we can't solve the problem directly. Though, you know we'll all try our damnedest to. You can trust—"

  


She was interrupted when she saw Lena's arm outstretched in front of her, signaling with her palm outwards, for Alex to hold that thought.

  


"Alright," Lena said with a mock laugh. "I'm going to stop you right there. Trust? You did say, trust, didn't you?"

"Um...yes?"

"I thought so, which is quite rich coming from your mouth, Alex."

"I...I'm sorry, I don't follow."

"You can stop playing dumb, Alex. You can cut it with the lies too. You want trust? Then fucking tell me the truth."

  


Alex's eyes were practically bulging from her sockets, and her mouth was slightly agape at the sudden accusation of Rao knew what.

  


"Um...Lena, I don't know what you're talking about. What lies? What—"

"Supergirl."

  


Alex nearly bit her tongue as her jaw snapped shut. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stared into determined green eyes. She could have sworn she saw fire behind them. Immediately, she became worried about where this conversation was leading to.

  


"What about her?"

  


Lena scoffed and chuckled.

  


"You're still really going to play that hand? I'm urging you to reconsider your answer, Alex, or I'm done with this conversation and you can see yourself out."

  


Alex ran her hand through her hair for the hundredth time that evening. She then reached for her glass and took another healthy sip. She paused, started at it, before drinking the rest. She knew exactly where this was headed.

Alex felt the weight of Lena's stare boring into the side of her head. Steeling herself, she placed the glass down on the coffee table, then turned her attention back to Lena, who's arms were now crossed as she sat there waiting.

  


"You're asking if I know her identity. Aren't you?"

"Do you?"

  


And for a moment, that question silenced the room. Those two single words thickened the air, sitting heavy in Alex's lungs so she couldn't breathe. It wasn't her secret to tell. That was her excuse, as always. Kara was her sister. Duty aside though, she always wanted to protect her, and that secret. Her identity was a gateway for trouble, so it became one of the things Alex coveted most. So even still, as she stared quietly at her friend, who was waiting anxiously for an answer, Alex debated. Lena was practically part of Kara's circle, and honestly, the only one left who didn't know. She tried to convince herself that it wouldn't really be much of a stretch to let her in on it. However, Alex still hoped Kara would've been the one to tell Lena. It's her secret, her best friend, her—

  


"Alex."

  


Shaken from her thoughts, Alex looked back at Lena and saw a bit of despair behind her eyes; a glimpse of hurt, tainted with a layer of wetness that threatened to fall . Alex knew then, that she had to come clean. Lena already knew.

  


"I do."

  


Two words, uttered in return, seemed to have lifted only part of that cloud surrounding them. Alex tasted a bit of freedom; her chest loosened as those words came out of her. She didn't know why, but unloading this secret seemed to be working wonders on her as well. She had to continue.

  


"I think you do to."

  


Alex waited. Brown eyes fell onto green ones, with the tension of the room slowly lifting. Lena's aggressive demeanor was faltering, which in turn, lowered Alex's defenses as well.

  


"Kara," Lena said plainly, as if it wasn't the hardest truth she had to face.

  


Alex bit her lips, and her eyes blinked slowly as she nodded.

  


"How long have you known?"

"Since that game night. After we had 'saved the world'."

"You've known for weeks?" Alex asked in surprise.

"Why else did you think I pulled away? I'm beyond angry, Alex. I'm hurt and I'm pissed the fuck off."

  


The tension returned. Lena's muscles became stricken with frustration, while emotions clashed within her, barely keeping the tears from falling. Alex sat in silence, not wanting to add fuel to the fire.

  


"I can't believe she lied to me! For so long, she lied to me! You lied to me! I can't..."

  


Lena took a moment to catch her breath. She stared up into the ceiling, gathering her thoughts. She wasn't prepared to unload everything, especially not to Alex. No. This anger, this emotional, twisted ball of betrayal, sadness, guilt, frustration, was meant to be thrown at Kara.

  


"Why? Alex?" Her voice softer and calmer this time, nearly cracking at saying her name.

"Lena I...I never meant to lie to you, or hurt you. We wanted to tell you, but...you already had so much going on, and...Kara mentioned her apprehension of revealing her identity to you. You were dealing with so much already Lena... There were so many times she wanted to tell you. Really. It wasn't that she didn't trust you. She just...she didn't want to hurt you."

"Well. That clearly was the wrong option, because holding out made it happen anyway. Didn't it?"

  


Lena's voice cut through Alex's rambling, which Lena felt was a sorry excuse for an explanation. Temporarily ignoring the redundant questioning, Alex took another deep breath, hoping to have another go at it; this time, calmer and more collected.

  


"She didn't want to add to the troubles you were already facing with Eve and Lex. On top of that, she also wanted to protect you. Anyone who knew her identity would—"

"Would be in danger?" Lena huffed with laughter. "If you two idiots hadn't already noticed, my life's quota for danger has been surpassed. I'm practically a walking target every goddamn day. What else did you think you were protecting me from? Hm?"

  


Alex just rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn't ready to have this conversation either. It was Kara's responsibility to explain it all. Alex believed her sister even had a spiel all set; a full arsenal of words and reasoning. Instead, here _she_ was, flailing around, trying not to drown herself or make things worse with her lackluster explanation.

  


Going for broke, she answered, "I'm sorry, Lena. Kara would really be the best person to talk to about it. It'll be easier now though, once I tell her that you already knew. You guys can hash it all out. I'm sure she has every answer you need. She knows you best after all. Kara probably even anticipated some other random questions that you'd want answered, and would have all the explanations for them too."

  


They sat around in awkward silence; the truth hovered above them. They both waited to see where the conversation led to next. After some draggingly painful minutes passed, Lena finally spoke up.

  


"You know me best too, Alex. Or had you forgotten?"

  


Her voice was softer now. Calmer. She stared back at Alex, and Alex could've sworn that Lena's tone had meant that she'd forgiven her. However, she wasn't that gullible. She knew that it'd take Lena a while to absolve her from the guilt of it all.

  


"I haven't. Of all the things I've forgotten, none were of you. The 'us being good, close friends,' were new memories. Of course I couldn't have forgotten about us. I do know you, Lena. It's just that...well, Kara's your best friend after all. You guys probably shared more secrets than you and I ever had and—"

"Unimportant secrets," she interrupted. "Most of them were about gossip and sheer nonsense. You," she said with emphasis, "knew more pertinent things."

  


Alex turned her attention to the empty wine glass that sat in front of her, willing it had more. She ran her fingers through her hair again, and after this time, she internally cursed herself for picking up that bad habit.

  


"I didn't forget you...," Alex admitted once more. "New memories, Lee," she said, the nickname slipping out out of habit — though, neither of them minded. "I forgot a bunch of other important things, but those were all from the past. After I got my memories back, I—"

"Wait. What do you mean, 'You got your memories back?'" Lena's eyes narrowed with confusion. Her arms crossed once more over her chest.

"The mind wipe. The one that— Oh."

  


Alex dragged her hands down her face. The conversation was getting more complicated, and at this rate, she'll be telling the whole backstory of everything to Lena, leaving Kara with nothing else to tell.

  


"Okay, long story short. I had my memories erased by J'onn. There was an imminent threat to finding out Supergirl's identity. Hayley was even resorting to unconventional methods, which meant that it'd only be time before they'd get to me. I _had_ to protect her, Lena. I _had_ to protect Kara. I _had_ to protect my baby sister."

  


Describing Kara as Alex's baby sister, came out unintentional, but the weight of it seemed to have transferred to Lena. She didn't inquire further of Alex's decision.

  


"So you had no recollection that Supergirl was—"

"Kara? No," she said, faking a laugh. The action was done in hopes to ease the tension and pain she carried still, because there were unforgivable actions that stemmed from that knowledge gap. She recalled how she hurt Kara, and how it still saddened her to have once lost many fond thoughts. "I no longer had anything that tied Supergirl to Kara. I even lost some childhood memories. There were holes everywhere, Lena. I...I thought I was losing my mind."

"How did you get them back?"

  


Alex shook her head as her eyes began to water; the tears trailing down her cheeks with her doing so. Quickly wiping them away, she continued.

  


"When Russian Kara nearly killed her, I had this intense feeling that I couldn't afford to lose Supergirl. I couldn't explain the closeness of why, but when I saw her fall...when I saw Supergirl laying there unconscious, nearly dead, I...all of a sudden this flood of memories came rushing back. I remembered everything..."

  


By now, Alex was practically sobbing. The memory of losing Kara was still so fresh. That, mixed in with the knowledge of what had transpired because of the mind wipe, was too much for Alex. She couldn't hold back any longer, and it was Lena that reached out and put a hand on Alex's shoulder, and grasped it tight. She knew first-hand how close Alex and Kara were. Their bond was like no other sibling bond she'd ever known. The thought of losing one, was like losing the other. Eventually, Alex slid her hand on top of Lena's, letting their fingers intertwine.

  


"Anyway," Alex continued, "my memories of you had stayed intact for the most part," she sniffed. "Plus the new ones were after the fact, so..." Without finishing her sentence, she just shrugged.

"Your memories of me were intact because I had very little connection to Supergirl's identity," Lena acknowledged; the bitter taste of it still coating her mouth. "So then our friendship..."

"Was never a lie!" Alex said with certainty and emphasis. "Your friendship meant so much to me after the mind wipe. I mean, it did before that too, but after...Lena, you grounded me when I was barely keeping myself together. I felt the most like myself when I was with you. Ironically, it felt like everyone was lying to my face too, and they were. They couldn't divulge anything that led to me believe that Kara was Supergirl. You, Lena, didn't feel that way, and you meant a lot to me because of that. You still do really and..." Alex held on tighter to Lena's hand. She did carry one other secret, but that was a trivial matter compared to everything else. She had to hold her tongue. It wasn't fair to add feelings — the crush she's had, and the desire to ask Lena out — into the mix.

"Alex?"

  


The questioning calm in Lena's voice pulled Alex from her thoughts, making her turn in her direction.

  


"You really what?"

"I can't, Lena. Now's not the time," she said, darting her eyes away from hers. "What matters now is that—"

  


Alex was interrupted by the warm placement of Lena's free hand on her cheek, and it forced Alex to look back at her. Lena had shifted closer in order to reach her, and now, they sat just a breath apart, eyes locked onto each other. But before Alex could discern what was happening, she felt soft lips upon her own. Alex's eyes shut out of reaction as her lips slowly returned a similar caress. When they parted, they stared at each other, a bit shy, but with genuine smiles.

  


"I guess...you knew that too," Alex commented.

"I had a feeling...yes. I felt similarly. We just never had any time..."

  


Alex cupped Lena's cheeks, one hand tucking in the loose hair behind her ears. The gentle gesture made them both smile once more.

  


"We have time now," Alex added.

  


Lena smiled. Her hand left Alex's cheek to touch the hand that was placed upon her face. She leaned into it, and closed her eyes briefly, before a shuddering cry broke the surface.

  


"Lena? Hey...," she said softly.

  


Alex shifted closer, her arms automatically wrapped around Lena to pull her close in an embrace. The surrounding comfort eased her, and allowed Lena to focus on feeling of warmth from Alex's skin against her face, with hers close to the base of Alex's neck.

  


"I worried that you lied, Alex. About our friendship. I didn't know who to trust any more and...I started doubting everyone. It was spiraling out of control and I—"

"Hey...shhh. I get it. I do. I was in your exact position at some point. Remember? I felt like everyone was lying to me, and that I couldn't trust anyone. I get it." Alex squeezed Lena tighter, then ran circular patterns on her back with her hand, in attempts to calm Lena down. "Our friendship was never fake, Lena. What I said, what I felt, and how I feel now...it's all real. It's always been real. I promise."

  


With the uttering of that very last word, Lena pulled away, just enough so that she could capture Alex's lips with her own. Their kiss was soft, caressing, and spoke nothing but comfort, trust, and possibly love. They cherished those feelings, with both finally accepting the truth of Supergirl — that unspoken secret that put them through so much.

  


**Author's Note:**

>   

> 
> Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment and let me know what you think! 😁 
> 
> (Also, I finished editing this at nearly 4am, so forgive the typos and errors I hadn't caught. I'll need to revisit that tomorrow. 😋)


End file.
